Chapter 10 - <2>
"Haaaah…"
Anna let out another sigh.
"I'm hungry…"
She'd already said this dozens of times and was getting tired of it, but she couldn't help herself.
"Yeah, I'm really starving."
Ritz, walking alongside her, muttered the same. Looking up at him, Anna thought that since he was bigger and carrying a heavy load, he must be even hungrier.
"But saying it won't fill our stomachs."
"You're right…"
Mid-October, 1572 in the Yuresla Kingdom Calendar.
To be precise, four days after they had secured their immediate living expenses in the city of Saradio and spectacularly burned down a mansion with a Fire Dragon, the party was heading south along the Traveler's Highway, aiming for the Royal Capital of the Yuresla Kingdom, where the sea was.
Anna, who had never left the Village of Vishnu, learned for the first time that the best-maintained roads that crisscrossed the Eneonea Continent, including the Yuresla Kingdom, were called the Traveler's Highway.
Following these roads would lead you to the capital of almost any country. In Yuresla's case, that meant the Royal Capital Sears. The several Traveler's Highways in Yuresla all eventually led back to Sears, so as long as they didn't get the direction wrong, they would definitely reach the sea.
Because Anna had told Ritz, "I want to see the sea!" they were now simply and single-mindedly walking along what Ritz called "a straightforward road where even an idiot couldn't get lost on the way to Sears."
Normally, this might have been an easy journey, but the three of them—or rather, Anna and Ritz—were being forced to endure a difficult trek.
There was one reason for this: the craving for food.
Thanks to the calm and composed words of Franz, who had become their treasurer in Saradio, that "even if we have money, a luxurious journey is forbidden," Anna and her companions were forced to battle hunger. It was natural for a poor journey, but even so, the past four days had been an all-too-meager existence.
After all, once the three of them used up all their travel funds, they had no way of earning more money.
They had no vegetables to sell, nor any goods. Ritz, who was supposedly a mercenary captain and incredibly strong, constantly lamented that with two dependents in the peaceful Yuresla, he couldn't work.
Anna didn't know, but the work of a mercenary was probably difficult. She didn't quite understand what was different between them and the soldiers of the kingdom's army.
When she mentioned this to Ritz, all he said was, 'At least call them soldiers of the military, not just soldiers,' and wouldn't talk about his job.
Without money, they couldn't move forward. Of course, even the naive Anna understood that. But hunger was, above all, an irresistible force.
When she was in Vishnu, the meals had been simple, but she had still been able to eat properly three times a day, plus a snack. Thinking about it now, she was filled with gratitude for the villagers. She realized they had been blessed with abundance.
And now, it was dried meat and hard emergency bread every single day. And even that was only twice a day. It was just too much. She wanted to eat vegetables, at the very least, but since they hadn't reached a place with people, there was no way to get any.
Anna prided herself on her grit. But even if she fought hunger with grit, when you're hungry, you're hungry. It couldn't be helped, as she was alive.
"Fluffy beds, rye bread, wild strawberry jam."
As she muttered this under her breath, Ritz mumbled with a sigh.
"Steak, grilled meat, roast beef, bolognese."
Ritz, who was just as obsessed with food as Anna, had a list of wishes that was all meat. The thought of meat dishes made Anna pick up her single, long braid.
"Hey, Ritz, doesn't my braid look a little like a ham?"
Everything she looked at seemed to turn into food. But Ritz just glanced over at her and sighed.
"Ham is much bigger and more impressive than that."
"You think so~? You know, the kind tied up with string?"
"That's a sausage. And besides, it doesn't look tasty at all."
"Really…?"
The conversation between the two could be described as nothing short of childish. It was hardly a conversation one would expect between a 150-year-old spirit-kin and a thirty-year-old woman of unknown origin. That being said, Anna still looked to be about fourteen or fifteen, so the conversation narrowly avoided being creepy.
"I'm starving…"
"So hungry…"
The conversation was going in circles again.
While enduring his hunger, Ritz's gaze shifted slightly backward. Anna looked back as well.
Their eyes were on Franz. The face beneath his golden hair was as white as paper. No, it was beyond white, almost blue. Franz gritted his teeth and continued to walk in dogged silence.
In truth, there was a reason why Ritz and Anna were starving. Their food supply had dwindled more than they had initially planned when leaving Saradio.
Their current location was a mountain path near Tushil, the closest village from Saradio along the Traveler's Highway in the direction of the capital. According to the well-traveled Ritz, it would normally take a traveler two or three days to get from Saradio to Tushil. But it had already been over four days.
They were quite close now, so Ritz's assessment was that they would arrive with plenty of time to spare today, but even that was uncertain.
The reason for this… was Franz.
Ritz was a mercenary with the sturdy legs of an experienced traveler who had journeyed far and wide, and Anna had grown up running up and down the mountain slopes of her church, working in the orchards and fields, so a little fatigue was nothing to her.
But Franz was the ultimate sheltered son, who had never once set foot outside the city of Saradio in his life. The furthest he had ever traveled was from Orphe's house to the town center. In other words, he had almost never walked.
For him to suddenly embark on a journey that involved walking all day, it was no surprise that his pace was slow. On top of that, his stamina was incomparable to Ritz's or Anna's, and he tired easily. That's why they couldn't cover much distance.
Franz, who was already a man of few words, had at some point stopped speaking altogether. Anna guessed his feet must be covered in blisters, but Franz remained silent and said nothing. It seemed he didn't want to cause Ritz and Anna any more trouble.
Anna understood that Franz was doing his best. Even while gritting his teeth, Franz never once complained that it was tough or that he wanted to rest. They had told him many times not to hesitate to say so when he wanted a break, but he would only shake his head.
She thought he was a hard worker, but according to Ritz, his pride probably wouldn't allow him to rely on Anna or Ritz. Anna couldn't understand why he had to be so reserved. They had decided to travel together, so they were companions. She always thought it would be better if he would just be honest with them.
At first, out of consideration for Franz, they tried telling him not to hold back, but his stubbornness was so extreme that Ritz and Anna had already given up.
"My, my, the young'uns these days are so stubborn."
As if noticing that Anna was also concerned about Franz, Ritz said this in a playful, exaggerated tone and winked. The gesture suited him strangely, making Ritz seem very mature.
"Indeed they are."
Matching Ritz's tone, Anna replied with a smile. This phrase had recently become a trend between Ritz and Anna. From the perspective of the two who had lifespans longer than humans, the eighteen-year-old Franz was just a young kid.
But this phrase seemed to annoy Franz. He glared at the completely at-ease Ritz with anger in his blue eyes, visible through the gaps in his long bangs, but he said nothing, likely lacking the energy to do so.
Seeing this, Ritz's smile widened with even more confidence.
"Oh? Need something?"
But Franz seemed to lose all fighting spirit at once, letting out a small sigh and turning away.
"Nothing…"
"I see. Let me know if it gets tough."
With just that, Ritz turned forward again and started walking leisurely as if nothing had happened.
He was a uniquely built spirit-kin with a solid, slender frame, carrying a greatsword about Anna's height on his back, along with luggage for both himself and Franz.
For him, a man of great strength who wielded that greatsword with ease, this journey while carrying luggage was probably no trouble at all.
Anna was now walking lightly in front of the heavily equipped Ritz. Her luggage consisted of a quiver with only two arrows and a small bow. This bow and arrow served as a catalyst for her spirit magic. And her shoulder bag was a sturdy, large one she had made herself.
This amount of luggage was more than enough for the journey.
"Should we take a break soon?"
At Ritz's suggestion, Anna stopped and looked up at the sky. The sun was beginning to set. It would be dusk in a few hours.
She turned to look at Franz, who was breathing heavily, and it looked like his knees were shaking. Even though he had been chatting with Anna, Ritz was amazing for paying such close attention to Franz's condition.
Though it had only been fifteen days since they met, Anna had placed her complete trust in Ritz. Somehow, she felt that if she left things to Ritz, everything would be alright.
Since setting out on their journey, Anna had been repeatedly impressed by Ritz.
Back at the orphanage, she had always been attentive to the children, so she was extremely good at noticing the details of their expressions and physical conditions. But on this journey, everything she saw was new and exciting, and she tended to forget to look around.
For Anna, whose entire world had been Vishnu, this world was incredibly vast and fresh.
But the well-traveled Ritz was always looking out for their surroundings and for her and Franz. That alone was worthy of respect. She was even starting to think that maybe all mercenaries were as caring as he was.
"Franz, let's take a break."
Ritz called out to Franz, but Franz silently shook his pale face. He was clearly exhausted, yet he refused to rest.
Maybe he feels insecure about his lack of stamina? It might be the same as when the children at the orphanage pushed themselves too hard and ended up failing.
In times like these, they had secretly decided with Ritz to make him rest, no matter what. Ritz was sort of like a father to both of them. He nodded when her eyes met his, so Anna went around behind Franz, pulled on the hem of his clothes, and stopped him.
In just four days, she had gotten quite used to handling Franz.
"Hey Franz, let's rest~. I'm thirsty."
Realizing he was being looked after, Franz bit his lip slightly but then nodded faintly as if giving up. He himself must have known best that being stubborn was pointless.
And so, they took their umpteenth break of the day.
"Look, look! It's amazing! Because there are no trees right on the path, you can see the sky in the middle of all the green!"
Sinking down beside the slumping Franz, Anna raised her voice in delight and pointed to the sky. At her voice, Ritz and Franz looked up.
"It's blue and shining, like a road made of sky. It's beautiful!"
"Oh, you're a poet, Anna."
"Ehehe. You think so?"
The autumn sky was high and clear, with clouds like long ribbons flowing slowly through the blue.
"What do you think, Franz?"
Anna said brightly, placing a hand on the knee of the exhausted and listless Franz. His eyes were already half-closed.
"…You seem to be having fun… Anna…"
Franz managed to reply while catching his breath, then closed his eyes. In an instant, his faint breathing turned into the soft sound of sleep.
Seizing that moment, Anna quietly chanted an incantation in her mind so that Franz, also a spirit user, wouldn't hear.
"O Water Spirit who governs peace and healing. Soothe the pain in this body."
Anna was secretly casting healing magic on Franz. This was also something she had secretly arranged with Ritz beforehand.
It was a bit of a challenge to act cheerful and distract Franz so he wouldn't notice, but fortunately, he had never caught on. Without this, it would have been impossible for Franz to move forward.
After finishing the healing spell, Anna took a deep breath. Casting healing magic on Franz at every break left her a little tired too.
But compared to Franz, she was dozens of times more energetic. Frankly, when it came to stamina, she didn't feel like she would lose to any child who looked her age. After all, she had lived twice as many years, so by calculation, she had trained for twice the amount of work.
Moving a little away from the sleeping Franz, Anna sat down and stretched her legs. The grassy area was a bit cool, but the smell of the grass felt nice.
She glanced at Ritz, who had placed the large greatsword from his back a little away from them and was lying down. He looked very comfortable.
He had looked comfortable when he was helping out in the orchard back in Vishnu too, so maybe Ritz just liked rolling around outside like this.
Is that what spirit-kin are like? Anna, who knew no other spirit-kin, wondered for a moment.
"Get plenty of rest. We're planning to reach Tushil by the end of today."
Ritz said this while still lying down. If they could reach the village today, would they be able to have a proper meal? But maybe not, and they might have to camp out for one more night.
Thinking about that, Anna found herself craving vegetables. So she took out her favorite book on edible wild plants and mushrooms from her bag and opened it. Maybe there was something edible around. If there was, she would eat it instead of vegetables if they had to camp out.
Franz was leaning against a tree, so exhausted that he was sleeping without moving a muscle.
"Isn't he dead?"
Ritz, who was lying on his side, said this to Franz with amusement. On behalf of the sleeping Franz, Anna answered for him.
"Don't be silly, Ritz. He's definitely alive~"
But Franz didn't react at all to their conversation. He seemed to be sound asleep.
After making sure Ritz had fallen back into his thoughts, Anna resumed her search for wild plants.
"It's so peaceful~"
She heard Ritz mutter this, but it didn't seem like a statement expecting a reply, so she just glanced at him for a moment and didn't answer.
After that, Ritz became so quiet it was hard to tell if he was awake or asleep. Since his eyes were closed, he might have fallen asleep like Franz. Left behind, all Anna could hear was the high-pitched chirping of birds and the rustling of trees swaying in the wind.
Yes, it really is peaceful, Anna thought from the bottom of her heart. To be able to use all of her time for herself felt like a wonderful luxury. Taking care of the children was fun, but spending time on her own was also very enjoyable.
For a while, the three of them spent their time as they pleased. But the silence was broken by Ritz.
In the quiet and calm, Ritz suddenly stood up with his sword in hand. He then began to scan the surroundings, as if sensing something.
Still holding the edible grass she had just found, Anna asked the tense-looking Ritz.
"What's wrong, Ritz?"
When she asked in a relaxed tone, Ritz signaled her to be quiet with his hand and then silently searched for some presence. After a moment, Ritz spoke to Anna in a firm voice.
"Anna, there's a snake. It could be bad if it's a giant viper."
Ritz said this curtly and quietly readied his sword. Anna also strained her ears, but she couldn't hear anything.
"It's okay, I don't hear a snake."
Anna stood up cautiously. Ritz was a spirit-kin and his ears were slightly larger. So perhaps he could hear sounds that Anna couldn't.
Vishnu, surrounded by plateaus with forests only a short distance away, was rarely attacked, but Anna, a country girl, knew about the giant vipers from stories.
They grow to be five to ten meters long as adults and are fearsome venomous snakes that attack people and livestock in the spring and fall, dragging them into the forest. In the old days, they were said to be spotted in Vishnu on rare occasions. It seemed even the Traveler's Highway wasn't safe from such creatures.
The tension created by the two of them finally woke Franz up. He looked around with a puzzled expression, not quite grasping the situation. Franz had probably never encountered a giant viper before.
Perhaps, being city-bred, he didn't even know they existed.
The old folks in Vishnu used to laugh and tell stories about how they would swallow sheep whole. Come to think of it, they said the giant vipers stopped appearing because Anton put up a barrier.
Silence dominated the three of them.
The first thing to break that silence was the sound of rustling grass and leaves. And it was much louder and faster than before. It was coming closer.
That sound, clearly different from the rustling of the wind, made Anna freeze. There was something big! And that sound was definitely coming from nearby.
Anna gasped and looked to the side. Could the viper's target be the one who seemed weakest and easiest to catch… Franz?
"Damn it!"
As the word left his lips, Ritz was already running. But the snake seemed closer than Ritz. But where was it?
"Anna! Behind you!"
"Behind me?"
Ritz roared as he swung his greatsword. Anna grabbed her nearby luggage and instinctively pulled an arrow made of baked earth from her quiver and thrust it into the ground.
"Fall down!!"
The arrow of earth was meant to make an enemy stumble by borrowing the power of the earth spirits. In Anna's mind, the giant viper should have writhed and fallen, but reality was different.
The giant viper, unfazed by such things, was closing in on Franz and Anna.
Come to think of it, this arrow only works on things that are standing on the ground.
"Idiot! How can it fall if it doesn't have legs?"
Ritz's words made her blood run cold. Right, that was true.
Just as Anna was trying to think of her next move, the trees in front of them were knocked down with a tremendous crash.
The next moment, after a gasp, a five-meter-long giant viper stood before Anna.
"…!"
The snake's dark blue tongue danced inside its mouth like a separate creature. It was only for an instant, but that moment felt strangely slow to Anna.
"Anna, Franz! Move!"
Ritz's shout brought her back to her senses. She came to, but her legs were shaking so much she couldn't move. As Anna desperately tried to move her legs, she caught sight of Franz, who was still sitting down, unable to move.
She desperately steeled herself and glared at the giant viper.
Franz can't move, so I can't run away. I'm older, I have to do something.
The giant venomous snake leaped with a whoosh.
Instinctively, Anna stood in front of Franz. She shielded Franz, who was immobilized by exhaustion and fear, with both hands.
"Don't come any cloooser!!"
Of course, the venomous snake showed no mercy to the screaming Anna. It aimed straight for her.
"Anna!!"
Simultaneously with Franz's scream, Anna was struck by a searing pain that felt like her entire arm was on fire. The snake's fangs were piercing her arm. The snake's cold eyes stared at her expressionlessly. The next moment, her whole body was being coiled by the snake.
"Ugh…"
As she endured the pain, a groan of agony escaped her lips. She felt like screaming in fear, but she desperately held it in.
If she screamed, she felt like she would really be eaten, and she didn't want that.
"Damn you…!"
She heard Franz's groan, but she had no room to look his way.
"…Gigigigigi…"
The snake turned towards its new enemy, Ritz, and let out a threatening sound. In that instant, Anna's arm was freed from the fangs. Dark red blood dripped from the sharp fangs of the venomous snake that had released her arm.
Perhaps distracted by Ritz, the snake's grip on Anna loosened for just a moment. Anna desperately broke free from the snake and scrambled backward.
She almost stumbled from the still-burning pain.
"Ritz, I've been bitten!"
She tried to report her situation to Ritz's back as he ran past her. However, it didn't seem to have reached Ritz's ears.
Ritz, while running, threw away his scabbard in a fluid motion. The scabbard clattered as it rolled, momentarily distracting the venomous snake.
Ritz was not one to miss such an opportunity.
The oversized giant viper re-targeted Ritz, but it was too late. The snake couldn't keep up with the speed of this suddenly appeared enemy.
"You bastard!"
In front of Anna, who was desperately planting her feet, Ritz cut the giant viper in two with a single stroke. The head and body flew apart, and fresh blood spurted out.
Even with its head and body separated, the viper tried to flick Ritz away with its long tail. Ritz dodged it by leaping to the side and, as a finishing blow, split the viper's head in two from behind, vertically.
It's the first time I've seen Ritz use a sword like this, but he's amazing, Anna thought, pressing on her painful wound.
To cut down such a large snake with a single stroke is no ordinary feat.
Ritz really is an incredible person…
The giant viper was writhing in agony, letting out its death throes.
"Get back! Hurry!"
Ritz told her to, but Anna's legs wouldn't move. Franz was the same. Noticing the two of them, Ritz scooped up Franz and Anna under his arms and slowly backed away to the middle of the road.
In the tense atmosphere, the venomous snake's movements gradually ceased, and eventually, it stopped moving altogether. The tail, which had been the last to move, flopped to the ground. After confirming this, Ritz finally set the two of them down. But unable to stand, Anna slid to the ground.
She let out a sigh of relief, and Ritz turned around.
"It's safe now."
Franz, still rigid, collapsed and sat on the spot.
Anna finally took a breath.
Surprisingly, the pain in her arm had disappeared. Or rather, the sensation in her arm itself was gone. It was numb, and she couldn't feel anything.
But in its place, her whole body felt strangely sluggish. It was heavy, or perhaps a numb feeling, a sensation she had never experienced before and couldn't quite understand.
As she sat down, she realized for the first time that the safety of the past four days had been a miracle.
This wasn't the village; it was the outside world. She was forced to face that fact anew.
She was in a daze, but the sensation of her arm being lifted brought her back to her senses. In front of her, a crouching Ritz had taken her arm and was looking at the wound. Anna, too, timidly glanced at her numb arm. The wound from the viper's bite was already turning purple.
The condition must have been quite severe, as Ritz's face clouded over. For the always-confident Ritz to make such a face, she might be in a dangerous situation.
"Are you okay?"
Ritz asked gently. She wanted to answer brightly so as not to worry him, but her lips wouldn't move. On the contrary, a chill ran through her entire body.
Anna could only answer honestly and briefly.
"…Feels like I'm dying…"
Ritz, momentarily taken aback, fell silent for a second, then looked away slightly and muttered.
"…I'd imagine so."
Apparently, from Ritz's perspective, she was in a very bad state.
"This is bad…"
Ritz said it as if to himself, but with grave seriousness. If Ritz said so, things must be getting very serious. Ritz called out to Franz, who was still sitting there in a daze.
"Franz! Grab Anna's arm, tight."
Franz, not quite grasping the meaning of what was said so suddenly, looked up at Ritz with a vacant expression. Ritz slowly repeated his instructions to the still-shaken Franz.
"Grab her tightly above the bite, so the poison doesn't spread."
"Got it…"
Franz, his face pale, grabbed Anna's arm with a trembling hand. For some reason, since she couldn't see her own face, it felt like Franz was the paler one.
After having Franz hold her arm, Ritz ran towards the luggage they had left behind. He slipped past the dead snake, grabbed the luggage, and returned to them. Opening the bag, he took out a piece of cloth and tied it just above Anna's wound.
Then, he washed the bleeding wound with water from a canteen and applied a fresh-looking cloth to it. He had the dazed Franz, who had let go of her arm, press down on it firmly. He was extremely efficient. He seemed to be used to this.
Then Ritz went back to searching through the contents of the bag.
"Herbs, herbs…"
Ritz muttered to himself as he rummaged through the luggage.
But the next moment, as if realizing something, he stopped searching abruptly. Ritz's hand slowly withdrew from the bag.
"There are no herbs…"
Ritz's words sounded hopeless. Franz, who had been holding Anna's arm, turned pale.
"Why…?"
To Franz's timid question, Ritz replied with a strained smile.
"…Because I don't get injured."
True, if he was that strong, he probably wouldn't get hurt.
"Even with me and Anna around?"
"Yeah. I haven't carried herbs in decades, so it didn't even cross my mind…"
"You can't forget that! Ritz, you're a professional, aren't you?!"
"My bad…"
Anna watched their exchange dazedly. Ritz must be very strong, and a venomous snake was probably outside the scope of his expectations.
Suddenly, Anton's face flickered before her eyes. It was too sad to think she might not see him again so soon. In her fading consciousness, she heard Ritz declare resolutely.
"I'll carry Anna and run to Tushil."
"Run?"
While Franz was asking, Ritz had already placed his luggage on the ground. Then, he turned his back to the barely-sitting Anna and knelt down.
"Can you get on?"
"…Yeah."
She answered, but she couldn't manage it on her own and ended up being helped onto his back by Ritz.
"How far is it to Tushil?"
To Franz's question, Ritz answered in a firm tone.
"About an hour at my pace. If Anna can cast healing magic on herself along the way, we should just about make it."
"Are you sure she'll be okay?"
"…Probably. Franz, from now on, go to Tushil without any breaks. You can drag the luggage if you have to."
"But what about the vipers?"
"Their territory is large. If we found one here, there won't be any others within a five-kilometer radius. As long as it's before nightfall, the highway should be safe."
"Can I make it before nightfall?"
"Even at your pace, you should probably make it in about three hours. Sorry, but I'm counting on you with the luggage."
"Yeah."
Their conversation flowed past her like a lullaby, its meaning not quite registering. It was so cold that she huddled against Ritz's back and clung to him. His back was warm.
"Hold on tight. Don't fall off."
Ritz said this in a gentle but tense, firm voice. She gave a small nod and wrapped her arms around his neck.